Tagged by Pearl

Pearl the Puppy has tagged me, in the big game of tag rolling through the world of pet blogging at the moment.

So here's my answers:

1. Describe Yourself In 7 Words
Calm, chilled and quiet (unless cat-facing)


2. What Keeps You Up At Night
Tummy ache (occasionally)


3. Who Would You Like To Be?
Bunny - of the Tales and Tails blog - although I'm happy being me really.


4. What Are You Wearing Right Now?
My pink collar with fluffy bunnies on - and a contented smile.


5. What Scares You?
Most other dogs in the world - unfortunately.


6. The Best and Worst of Blogging
Best is the GREAT friends I've made and the HILARIOUS and thought-provoking posts they write often illustrated with the most beautiful images.
Worst is not having enough hours in the day (or the week) to visit them all.


7. The Last Website I Visited
Apart from other pet blogs it was the website for Quad, Derby's centre for film and the arts because I wanted to know if well-behaved dogs might be able to go to any of their great summer nights film screenings (actually, I may let the People Of The House go on their own and I'll snooze at home because I don't really watch films or TV)


8. What Is The One Thing I Would Change About Myself?
I'd like to be a bit braver and more sociable with other dogs. We're all working on it together, slowly.


9. Slankets Yes or No?
The LOTH bought the GOTH a slanket one Christmas. I prefer my big cuddly quilt-y bed.


10. Tell Us Something About The Dog That Tagged You.
Pearl came from a rescue where they said she was a pointer/lab mix but I agree with her folks that she probably has greyhound blood in her too. She's certainly beautiful enough and apparently she's a great runner.


I am going to take a leaf out of the books of a few other blogs and say that I'm not going to tag any other blogs because so many have been tagged already - so I'll just say if you are reading this and you've NOT been tagged yet, consider yourself TAGGED and tell us these ten things about you too. We are all ears!!

Quick court case update

Hi there

Just a quick update for you today - on behalf of the Lady Of The House - on that court case about the woman who dumped pet's bodies instead of cremating them which we mentioned last month.

The LOTH was in court yesterday covering the case for her website Lost & Fond. The woman was sent to prison for eight months.

The full story is here if you want to read it.

Bereaved pet owners - victims of fraud

A serious post today - so if you are looking for laughs maybe skip off to the next blog on your list.

This week the Lady Of The House met some lovely, lovely pet owners - but in very, very sad circumstances.

They were at Derby Crown Court for the trial of a woman who ran a pet crematorium business - until a number of pets she was supposed to have cremated were found dumped in a Derbyshire field back in August 2009.

This woman - whose business was called Peak Pet Cremations (it's closed now) - had a contract with a local veterinary group to handle pet cremations for them.

This week when she appeared in court she changed her previous 'not guilty' plea to 'guilty' to six charges of fraud relating to falsely claiming that she had cremated three dogs, two cats and a guinea pig. She will be sentenced next month.

The Lady Of The House has been covering the news story for the last few days on her Lost & Fond website and if you want to find out more, you can read those stories here

These pet owners have been so brave for nearly 18 months now since the bodies were first found. At one point it looked as if the criminal case might be dropped - but they got their MP involved and fought on.

They still can't understand why this woman did what she did - and they hope there might be some answers when she is sentenced by the Judge and more information comes out.

In the UK we have a wonderful organisation called the Association Of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria (APPCC) which has a code of conduct its members agree to abide by regarding how pet cremations and burials are handled. They have provided a lot of support for the families in this sad case. So has a lovely lady called Dawn Murray who runs her own pet undertaker's service in Scotland and is a trained pet bereavement counsellor.

Kevin Spurgeon, director of the APPCC, said: "This case damages the reputation of the many genuine pet crematoria that help owners through the loss of their pet. Our members adhere to a strict code of practice ensuring that sites are licensed and individual cremations are carried out properly and it is sickening to think that someone has abused the trust of these grieving pet owners at such a vulnerable time."

The families will, of course, never forget the pets they lost. I just hope that they can find peace and some closure after next month's sentencing.

I promise to have a little more of an upbeat post for you tomorrow to round off the week.

Now go and give your pets an extra big hug.

Snowy day

Setting out for first walk in the snow

In eight years of life I have encountered snow before, but today was my first day of striding about in the white stuff with my new family.

I wasn't going to let it put me off my walks, and I had a good gambol about in the garden kicking my heels and behaving like a big kid generally.

Well, you have to do, don't you? It's compulsory when snow falls.

The Lady Of The House has been out and about a lot today doing various worthy but dull (in my opinion) things, and the Boy Of The House is still recovering from flu. He's obviously not right yet as he turned down a trip to watch the new Harry Potter film this afternoon followed by tea at Frankie and Benny's.

But I've had a nice day and I'm going to settle down for a snooze now while they watch Derby County playing football on the television.

Me and my new friend Winnie

Happy November!!

We had a lovely day yesterday. The Boy Of The House and his big sister went to Westfield shopping centre in Derby to spend his birthday money - and they came back with a present for me!

The Girl Of The House has always felt I should have a Winnie the Pooh toy (as we share the same name) and now she's bought me one.

I am very gentle with him (honestly) and I carried him around the house with me, so please don't think I'm being rough with him in this picture because I'm not.

I love Winnie

Anway, it gave me something to play with while everyone else watched the American football which was live on television from Wembley Stadium. Everyone in our house was cheering for the San Francisco 49ers - so they were happy that they won.

To get in the mood they were eating hot dogs and salted popcorn and cheesy nachos and Key Lime Pie (and getting up and down to give little bags of sweets to the Trick or Treaters calling at the front door).

I loved trotting down the hall (with someone's hand on my grab collar just in case I saw a witch's cat outside) to have a look at the little ones in their super costumes.

But the family kept me well away from the hot dog onions and any chocolate as those are SOOOOOOO dangerous for us dogs.

What to do with the weekend?

Well, this morning's walk involved me coming to a standstill under the trees on the nature reserve that was once a clay pit as a squirrel frolicked overhead.

The Man Of The House thought it was quite funny as I watched the squirrel bob and weave through the branches and make gurgling growls under my breath.

So, what to do now with the rest of the weekend?

Top choice for tomorrow is the Fun Dog Show at Markeaton Park in Derby. It's on from 11am to 3pm and now that the Lady Of The House has her car back she's threatening to take me along and enter me in the class for the saddest eyes.

They were a bit sad when I realised I was never going to get close to that squirrel this morning.  (But not as sad as the eyes of the L O T H when she paid that car bill yesterday - yikes!!!)